Meet The Team

We are a dedicated team which strives to provide success to our clients in regards to all their accountancy needs. Our team is very close-knit and ensures that a unified support is provided to you whenever you need it. With expertise covering all aspects of accountancy, taxation and business advisory services, we are well placed to take a holistic view to planning for the future as well dealing with specific matters.

David Jemmett FCA

Managing Partner

David qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Brebner Allen & Trapp (now Brebners) in London in 1976 before joining Crouch & Co in Hove as a partner in 1983. David is responsible for our personal tax services as well as a large and varied portfolio of clients. He was a keen cricketer and played for Henfield plus joins in with the odd game of golf. We maintain David’s contact with Brebners for specialist tax consultancy.

Stephen Monk FCA

Corporate Partner

Stephen was born in Brighton and moved to Hove, qualified as a Chartered Accountant in Brighton in 1974 and then spent eight years with Deloittes in both London and Zambia before moving back to Brighton to Grant Thornton and joining us as a manager in 1986; becoming a partner in 1988.

Stephen specialises in looking after limited companies and their director/shareholders, from initial formation and structuring, shareholders’ agreements, fundraising, valuations, mergers and acquisitions and succession planning; and is our “Senior Statutory Auditor”. He has a particular interest in the Research & Development Tax Credits scheme.

He has swapped his squash racquet for the shorter one of racquetball in the winter, then substitutes this for tennis during the summer and is a keen motorist, taking part in charity and club track days in his MX5 (formerly the old go faster classic Saab 900 pictured above).

He was Chairman of Brighton & Hove Chartered Accountants, a member of the Board of Brighton & Hove Young Enterprise and a Governor of Brighton & Hove High School for some years.

Richard Colwell FCCA

Partner

Richard graduated from Teesside University in 2000 and joined Parkers in 2004 as an ACCA Trainee. He then qualified in 2007 and worked in some other Sussex firms to gain experience. He returned to Parkers in 2011 as our Accounts Manager and then progressed to a Partner in April 2014. Richard has built up a popular Twitter account and is our social media expert! He has fresh ideas and enjoys challenging the concept of “all accountants are boring”. Richard specialises in start-ups, SMEs and R&D Tax Credits.

He is a fan of most sports, in particular rugby and cycling as well as supporting the Sussex cricket team. He has played badminton since he was nine years old and is keen on going for a run over the South Downs when he has some spare time (which is rare due to his young family). Richard has twice completed the Trailwalker challenge for charity.

Annette Watson FCA

Partner

Annette qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2004 with a Brighton based top ten firm. Annette remained there until 2012 having spent time as a Manager in both the Audit Department and the Accounting and Business Advisory team. Annette joined Parkers in 2012 as a Manager and became a Director in 2014.

Annette has mainly dealt with owner-managed businesses throughout her career, and specialises in offering the full range of services required by family and start up businesses. Annette can assist with choosing an appropriate business structure, profit extraction, producing business plans, budgets and cash flow forecasts, recommending and reviewing (or providing) bookkeeping systems, VAT registration and PAYE and payroll functions, on top of the standard corporate accounts and corporation tax and self assessment tax returns.

Annette also has a particular specialism in the charity and not-for-profit sector.

Annette’s young family take up most of her spare time, but she enjoys a run along Worthing sea front when she has the opportunity.

Chris Arbenz FCA

Consultant

Chris qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1972 and worked in industry before joining Parker, Challis & Arbenz in 1977. Chris is our specialist in the licensed trade and has a wide knowledge of other businesses and partnership issues. He deals with a large number of business start-ups. He is one of our few golfers and a Brighton & Hove Albion supporter. Chris is our former Managing Partner and has now retired but continues as a Consultant working 2 days per week.

Ricky Patel B.Comm

Consultant

After graduating in Accountancy and Business Management in 1966, Ricky joined a firm of London accountants before relocating to Hove and joining one of our founding firms. He specialises in smaller businesses and financial services and primarily works Monday to Thursday mornings.